Construction of new expressways has become a priority in India as the country's population continues to grow and the need for efficient transportation becomes important. Some of these expressways are already operational, but some are still in planning or construction stages. These upcoming expressways in India will also help to boost the economy by creating new jobs.
In terms of the number of roads connecting major and minor cities, towns, and villages, India's road network is the second largest in the world. The importance of expressways in a country's transportation system cannot be overstated, as the number of people in India is expected to exceed the existing number. Thus, the need for improved infrastructure is clear.
According to the minister, once the projects are completed, people can travel from Delhi to various places in just two hours. They can also travel to Amritsar in four hours, Delhi to Katra in six hours, Delhi to Mumbai in 12 hours, and Delhi to Bengaluru in two hours. It used to earlier take 4.5 hours to travel from Meerut to Delhi but now people are coming in 40 minutes, he claimed.
"Gadkari had earlier stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s road infrastructure would be similar to that of the US before the 2024 general elections. He also stated that the government has no shortage of funds."
India plans to build these expressways in order to improve public transportation and economic growth. So let us take a look at some of the upcoming expressways in India.
What is an Expressway?
Infrastructure plays an important role in the development of any country. Having proper connectivity to the expressway will minimise the travel duration within the country. Expressways are the highest class of roads in India, vehicles can pass through a limited place where no other road can merge or cross it.
The expressway in India is equipped with several innovative and intelligent features including a Highway Traffic Management System (HTMS) and Video Incident Detection System (VIDS). For future highways in the country, these systems will set a benchmark and are also environmentally friendly. India has a total length of 2,587.5 km (1,607.8 mi) of expressways as of July 2022.
An expressway constructed of access ramps, separated lanes, dividers and elevated sections. India's longest expressway is the Puravanchal Expressway, which has covered a distance of 340.8 km, whereas the Delhi-Meerut Expressway covers 14 lanes and is the widest expressway in the country.
In his address to the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway, Nitin Gadkari mentioned the National Highway Authority of India(NHAI) for constructing over 1.47 lakh km of road connectivity across India in 2022.
Here is what National Highway is all about
National Highways are the backbone of the road infrastructure that connects every major city, whether ports, states, etc., in India. It consists of two, four or more lanes built with charcoal and a few with cement concrete.
This network lane is owned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways India. It is constructed, maintained and managed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) and public works departments (PWDs) of state governments.
The National Highway (NA) was established by the National Highway Authority of India Act, of 1988. According to the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH), there are 599 National Highways in India.
"The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set the timeline for 23 new highways, including a network of expressways and economic corridors, which will be ready by March 2025. Four expressways, including Delhi-Mumbai, Ahmedabad-Dholera and Amritsar-Jamnagar are scheduled for completion by March 2023. Nine more will be ready by 2023. Nine more will be ready by March 2024."
Difference between Expressways and Highways
The major difference between a highway and an expressway is the access control you get while driving.
- In National expressways, roads are not multiple, controlled access is there where vehicles can enter through a limited area of road and no further or other road merges or crosses the expressway anywhere.
-Due to this, the possibility of accidents decreases. But in the case of highways, multiple roads merge with or cross the highways at many places.
- Highway is a generic term given to roadways which connect important cities; towns etc, and usually they have 4 lanes to provide high-speed traffic.
-An expressway is a high-speed road with little access and consists of several facilities like access ramps, lane dividers etc.
Upcoming expressways by 2024
1) Ahmedabad – Dholera Expressway
109 km Ahmedabad Dholera Expressway (NH-751) by the National Highways Authority of India is an under-construction 4-lane access-controlled road with a route which alignment with Sardar Patel Ring Road near Sarkhej and Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) through Dholera International Airport at Navagam.
SMEC India Pvt. Ltd prepared the project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR).
This project comes in a greenfield expressway and is part of the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project (DMIC), and also its land acquisition was completed in July 2020. Construction contracts were awarded in November 2020 to Sadbhav Engineering, GVH India and DRA Infracon.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 3,500 crores
Project’s Total Length: 109.019 km
Status: Under Construction
Deadline: December 2024
Owner: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Project Model: EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction)
2. Amritsar – Jamnagar Economic Corridor
1256 km Amritsar – Jamnagar Economic Corridor (NH-754 & EC-3), also known as Amritsar – Jamnagar Expressway, which comes under-construction 4-6 lane partially access-controlled highway by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) with a route alignment through Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The Construction work on its greenfield section started in 2019 with the primary goal of improving freight movement efficiency and boosting exports.
The project is developed under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I program.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 80,000 crores
Project’s Total Length: 1256.951 km
Current Status: Under Construction, Bidding Underway & Land Acquisition Underway
Deadline: December 2025
Owner: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Project Model: Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM)
3. Bangalore–Chennai Expressway
260.85 km Bengaluru – Chennai Expressway (BCE) project, officially NE-7, is an under construction 4-lane access-controlled road with a route which is alignment connecting Hoskote near Bengaluru, Karnataka with Sriperumbudur near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
This greenfield project was first declared in the year 2011 and is now being developed under the Bharatmala Pariyojana program scheme. Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) laid its foundation stone on May 26, 2022.
- Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 17,000 crore
- Completion Deadline: December 2025
- Project’s Total Length: 260.85 km
- Main Expressway’s Length: 258.80 km
- Owner: National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)
- Status: Land Acquisition and Financial Bid Evaluation
- Project Model: Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM)
4. Bangalore–Mysore Expressway
119 km Bengaluru – Mysuru Expressway project on NH-275 is an under-construction 6-10 lane with an access-controlled highway with a route alignment in Karnataka.
This project is a mix of brownfield-upgrade (60%) and greenfield (40%) projects that were envisioned as an alternative to the now-scrapped Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Road.
This project comes under Bharatmala Pariyojana (BMP) and has a deadline of October 2022.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 8,066 crore
Completion Deadline: October 2022
Project’s Length: 119 km
Owner: National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)
Status: Under Construction
Project Model: Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM)
5. Bundelkhand Expressway
296 km Bundelkhand Expressway project by UPEIDA. This greenfield project was first declared in April 2017 with land acquisition beginning in December 2018.
Its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) in February 2020.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate Bundelkhand Expressway on July 16, 2022.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 14,716 crore
Project’s Total Length: 296.070 km
Status: Under Construction
Deadline: 2021-end
Opening: July 16, 2022,
Owner: Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA)
Project Model: EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction)
6. Chennai Port – Maduravoyal Expressway
19.881 km Chennai Port – Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway by NHAI. Expressway is estimated to cost Rs. 5,855 crores. The foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) on May 2022.
NHAI invited tenders for its construction on July 2022 through 4 packages.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 5,855 crore
Project’s Total Length: 19.881 km
Status: Bidding Underway
Deadline: N/A
Owner: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Project Model: Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC)
7. Mumbai Coastal Road
29.80 km Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP) is an under-construction access-controlled expressway connecting the Princess Street Flyover route in South Bombay with Kandivali in the northern suburbs.
Phase 1’s Estimated Cost: Rs 12,700 crore
Phase 1’s Total Length: 10.58 km
Completion Deadline: July 2023
Owner: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) / Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM)
Status: Under Construction
8. Delhi–Mumbai Expressway
The 1350 km Delhi – Mumbai Expressway (DME) project (NH-148N / NE-4) is under-construction.
This new greenfield expressway was approved for construction under the Bharatmala Pariyojana programme in 2017, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone in 2019.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 1,00,000 crore
Project’s Total Length: 1350 km
Scheduled Opening: January 26, 2023,
NHAI’s Deadline: December 2024
Owner: National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)
9. Dwarka Expressway
The 29.10 km Dwarka Expressway project (NH 248-BB) is an under-construction access-controlled expressway with a route alignment connecting Mahipalpur (Shiv Murti) in Delhi with Kherki Dhaula through New Gurgaon (Gurugram) in Haryana.
This project was planned as the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) in 2006 and transferred to NHAI in 2016.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 8,662 crore
Length: 29.10 km
Owner: National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)
Status: Under Construction
Completion Deadline: 2022-end
10. Ganga Expressway
Ganga Expressway is an under-construction 594 km long, greenfield expressway in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The foundation stone of the Ganga Expressway was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 December 2021 in Shahjahanpur. The expressway is expected to be completed by 2024.
11. Trans-Haryana Expressway
227 km Trans-Haryana Expressway (NH-152D). This north-south greenfield expressway was opened to vehicles on August 1, 2022. I
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 5,108 crore
Project’s Total Length: 227.020 km
Opened: August 1, 2022
Deadline: 2021-end
Owner: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Project Model: EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction)
12. Gorakhpur Link Expressway
The 91.35 km Gorakhpur Link Expressway project by UPEIDA is an under-construction.
This greenfield project was first declared in 2018 with land acquisition starting in February 2019. Construction work started in February 2020 by Apco Infratech and Dilip Buildcon with a 36-month deadline.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 5876.67 crore
Project’s Total Length: 91.352 km
Status: Under Construction
Deadline: March 2023
Owner: Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA)
13. Kanpur – Lucknow Expressway
62.7 km Kanpur Lucknow Expressway (NE-6) by NHAI.
The expressway’s foundation stone was laid in March 2019 early (again on January 5, 2022), and was notified as National Expressway 6 in the Gazette of India in December 2020.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 4,700 crores
Project’s Total Length: 62.764 km
Status: Contracts awarded; Land Acquisition Underway
Deadline: December 2025
Owner: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
14. Mumbai – Nagpur Expressway
701 km Mumbai – Nagpur Expressway (Samruddhi Mahamarg) by MSRDC
Samruddhi Mahamarg will be opened/inaugurated in 2022.
This greenfield project was first declared in 2015 and land acquisition began in July 2017. Its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2018, and construction work started in January 2019 for 16 civil packages.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 55,000 crores
Status: Under Construction
Opening: 2022 (502 km Nagpur – Shirdi)
Deadline: 2022-end
Official Name: Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg
Owner: Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC)
15. Pathankot Ajmer Expressway
The Pathankot Ajmer expressway has an eight-lane expressway to be built across the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal had proposed the project in 2008. Reliance Energy Limited has proposed to construct the expressway at a cost of Rs 8000 crore.
16. Raipur – Visakhapatnam
464 km Raipur – Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor (NH-130CD & EC-15), also known as Raipur – Vizag Expressway Pradesh.
Total Estimated Cost: Rs. 20,000 crore
Deadline: 2025
Owner: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Project Model: Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM)
List of upcoming expressways by 2024
Here is list of upcoming expressway in India by 2024
NAME OF THE EXPRESSWAY | COMPLETION DATE | ESTIMATED COST(IN CRORE) | RANGE OF THE HIGHWAY(IN KM) |
Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway | March 2023 | Rs 3,500 | 109 |
Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway | March 2023 | Rs 3,500 | 109 |
Bangalore-Chennai Expressway | March 2024 | Rs 17,000 | 260.85 |
Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Expressway | August 2022 | Rs 8,066 | 119 |
Bundelkhand Expressway | April 2022 | Rs 14,716 | 296 |
Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Expressway | Under construction | Rs 5,965 | 20.5 |
Coastal Road(Mumbai) Expressway | June 2022 | Rs 12,750 | 10 |
DND-KMP Expressway | Under construction | Rs 3, 580 | 59 |
Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway | December 2023 | Rs 39,500 | 669 |
Delhi-Mumbai Expressway | March 2023 | Rs 1,00,000 | 1350 |
Dwarka Expressway | August 2022 | Rs 8,662 | 29.10 |
Ganga Expressway(Meerut-Prayagraj) | Under Construction | Rs 4,000 | 594 |
Trans-Haryana Expressway (AmbalaNarnaul) | March 2022 | Rs 5, 108 | 227 |
Gorakhpur Link Expressway | March 2022 | Rs 5,876 | 91.352 |
Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway | October 2023 | Rs 4,700 | 63 |
Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway | May 2022 | Rs 55,000 | 701 |
Pathankot-Ajmer Expressway | March 2023 | Rs 8,000 | 600 |
Raipur Visakhapatnam Expressway | March 2024 | Rs 20,000 | 464 |
Do you know about Freeway?
Freeway is basically designed for high-speed vehicular traffic. It is the highest class of controlled access highway. Let us tell you that the national highway system has only two freeways in India, Eastern Freeway and Western Freeway, to reduce traffic congestion in Mumbai island city.
So, now you may have understood that Expressways are high-speed roads with several facilities and little access but highways consist of multiple routes and usually have 4 lanes.
Summary
Despite India's numerous expressways, there is still a great need for more, especially in congested urban areas, where traffic moves at a snail's pace. Many expressways need repair and upgrading.
The government has recognized the need for more expressways and has plans to build several new ones in the coming years. Although building new expressways is a massive undertaking, it is necessary to improve the country's infrastructure. Also, This is great for the millions of commuters who rely on the country's transportation system every day and for India's economy as well.
FAQ's:
The Delhi–Mumbai Expressway is a 1,350 km long, 8-lane wide under-construction access-controlled expressway connecting India's national capital New Delhi with Mumbai.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India's 1st six-lane high-speed lane.
Vehicle speeds rise as one goes from left to right lane.